- For under $1500, IFi Neo stream has an I2S out that I find remarkably clearer than usb. Not many streamers in this price range have that. And it supports Qobuz connect but I prefer mconnect.
Looking for a more up-to-date streamer
This is turning into a bit of a saga. I'm now on my third streamer, having started with a Sonnet Hermes to pair with my (former) Sonnet Morpheus DAC. I wasn't particularly enamored of the sound of this combination, so from there moved to an Innuos PulseMini with an upgraded power supply. Again, the combination was not to my liking--it sounded kind of shrill and didn't seem to control the music as well as it might. In the meantime, I changed to a Denafrips Pontus 15th DAC, which solved at least some of these issues, but still unsatisfied, I currently have a (used) Lumin T1. This streamer is a major improvement over my previous ones, but since it's a much older model, there are some things it can't do which would be awfully nice to have available.
Specifically, it can't output via USB, only optical and coax, and it's too old to be able to incorporate Qobuz Connect, which I think would be a better interface than Lumin's own app.
New or used, is there a streamer out there in the $1500 price range that would incorporate these features and sound as good (or even better) than the Lumin? I know my price-range is not as high as I wish it were. If I could afford to spend multi-thousands on this, there'd be many worthy choices, obviously.
One thing I really don't need is a streamer with a sophisticated DAC, as I'm perfectly happy with the DAC I have. I've noticed that most streamers available today have built-in DACs (for better or worse) and a lot of them also act as pre-amps. These are features I don't really need.
Advice and opinions gratefully received. Thanks!
(System: Modwright KWI 200 integrated, Ryan R610 speakers, Elac Varro RS500 sub, Denafrips Pontus 15th DAC)
23 responses Add your response
https://forum.audiogon.com/posts/2813333 @campoly Airlens are very good. No loss omitting the usb. At least they know what an over-hyped connection it is. Never take audio advice from a computer nerd. |
@ghdprentice an honor to be +1 by you, sir! |
I have a Volumio Rivo+ with a Linear power supply and a 4K OLED monitor for the last few months and I am very impressed with the sound and the Volumio user interface. In addition to streaming, Volumio can access music files from a server, SSD, USB stick, or microsd card. I also really like the band and album history that is displayed by Volumio on the remote devices or attached monitor. "Qobuz connect" does not offer that. Overall, for me, this is really an outstanding setup - Note: Sound performance being my primary driver. In addition, the Volumio software is constantly being updated/improved and "Qobuz Connect" was recently added and easliy enabled in my setup. Here is a pic. |
At the risk of blasphemy, consider a fanless mini PC, mine’s a mele @$350, add a Denafrips IRIS @$500 via USB, then I2S to your Pontus 15th and run Qobuz Connect. I have this set up with an IRIS and Pontus 12th feeding McIntosh tube amp to a pair of Klipschhorns, sounds fabulous and Qobuz connect makes ease of use a snap. |
@jallan is barking up the right tree. It sounds to me that you prefer a more "tuby" rather than detailed presentation so Aurender would be a good choice. I just upgraded my streamer and auditioned quite a number of units and the Aurender is more analogue sounding than most. Aurender is Qobuz connect ready. I have heard good things about the Airlens but won't speak to it since I've not personally heard it. Good luck and cheers |
@foggyus91 does the UltraRendu Plus accept Qobuz Connect, though? Maybe I missed it, but haven’t seen any confirmation. I will say that I could never maintain a stable connection with Spotify Connect and my opticalRendu. Also not the biggest fan of having to go through sonicorbitor.com to select the output. Small negatives; love everything else. |
Sonore UltraRendu Plus and they are on sale. https://www.smallgreencomputer.com/collections/music-players/products/ultrarendu |
If you are using a decent power conditioner to plug a streamer into, consider a WiiM Ultra with a Synergistic Research Tranquility Pod Carbon on top. I just conducted an experiment using this combo against some high end streamers (well over $1,500) that I have on the floor and was very surprised by the results. Of course I am also using good Ethernet and digital cables, which helps. I have no affiliation with WiiM, but I am an authorized Synergistic Research dealer.
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PS Audio Airlens can be found used for around that $ and the new firmware supports Qobuz connect. If you buy it new you might be able to do a try & buy but your getting close to the $2k mark then
update: Airlens on sale for $1.5K and ouputs to I2S/HDMI which your DAC appears to support. https://www.dagogo.com/ps-audio-airlens-and-directstream-dac-mk2-review/ |
